What you need to know
- Korean website The Elec says that LG is preparing to manufacture Gen-6 OLED panels for the next iPhone.
- These displays will reportedly feature touch-integrated screens and LTPO backplane technology.
- That could make the displays thinner in form, and more energy-efficient.
A report from Korean website The Elec claims that LG is upgrading its production facilities to enable the manufacturing of Gen-6 OLED panels for Apple's 2020 iPhone.
According to the report, these new displays will feature touch-integrated technology, as well as LTPO backplane. LTPO technology was first used by Apple in Apple Watch Series 4. The touch-integrated display is based around Samsung's Y-OCTA technology, in which the touch sensor is integrated into the OLED panel within the display, rather than featuring as a separate layer. LG apparently refers to this tech as TOC Cell, and is planning to use it in its next iPhone display. The combination of TOC Cell (Y-OCTA) and LTPO could mean that the next iPhone has displays that are thinner in form factor and more energy efficient.
Now, this rumor seem to contradict previous reports from Korea that Samsung would be the sole supplier of Y-OCTA based displays for Apple in 2020. That report said that Samsung would supply Y-OCTA displays for a 5.4 and 6.7-inch iPhone model, as it was the only manufacturer that could push out the numbers Apple needs. It was also purported that Samsung offered Apple a "shocking"(ly good) deal in order to secure Apple's custom. LG was pegged to supply displays for a 6.1-inch iPhone alongside Samsung, but it was reported at the time that this would not feature the Y-OCTA technology of the other models.
If the suggested devices are indeed in the pipeline, this latest report could suggest that either LG is being brought on board to support and supplement Samsung's manufacturing of Y-OCTA/TOC Cell displays for the 5.4/6.7-inch models, or perhaps that the rumored 6.1-inch iPhone will also include the technology.
